Product Design Engineer Intern - Summer 2027

What the role actually is

Skydio is hiring a summer 2027 product design engineering intern in San Mateo. The work is physical product design for autonomous drones and accessories, with a focus on prototypes, mechanical parts, testing, and design reviews.

This is closer to product-facing mechanical design than UX design, but the listing is relevant because the intern would shape drone hardware that operators physically handle, maintain, and trust in the field.

What you would work on

• Design parts for next-generation drone prototypes and accessories
• Investigate failures on existing or developing products and propose design fixes
• Validate ideas through hands-on prototyping, testing, and data collection
• Communicate design tradeoffs with engineers, suppliers, and senior product design teammates
• Present design work in reviews and learn how autonomous-drone hardware moves toward production

What they are asking for

• Internship eligibility for summer 2027
• Curiosity and strong mechanical design fundamentals
• Experience with 3D CAD; CATIA familiarity is a plus
• Interest in prototyping, manufacturing processes, and design-for-manufacturing
• Comfort working with cross-functional engineering and supplier teams

Why this one is worth a look

Robotics product design roles are often hidden under mechanical engineering titles. This one is explicitly on Skydio's product design team and gives an intern exposure to the physical design choices behind fielded autonomous drones, from prototype parts to manufacturing constraints and user-facing hardware details.